Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Join Heather Stefanek and Joy Huebert as they explore the challenges and necessities of leadership in a Unitarian Congregation.  Heather will share her experiences as Chairperson for the past three years, a time of many changes, and Joy will touch on what she is learning of Unitarianism and how we can continue to provide a joyful and meaningful religious experience

The moment I am asked about belonging, immediately a whole bunch of stories come to mind about times when I felt I didn’t belong. I am sure I’m not alone in this, it’s one of the challenges of trying to talk about belonging, how it creates complicated connections between our inner landscape, the world we find ourselves in, and the worlds we are attempting to bring about.

Speaker bio: Karen Fraser Gitlitz (she/her) is a white, cis-gendered woman of northern European ancestry. Karen has served as a Unitarian Universalist minister since 2008 and a professional Art Therapist since 2023. Karen and her partner, musician and composer Paul Gitlitz, now make their home on the Saanich peninsula on southern Vancouver Island, BC, the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. Karen keeps connected to congregational life through her work as Coordinator of the Meaning Making Project, this year offering 8 monthly theme packets and worship services to 15 Canadian UU congregations. Karen is also developing her private art therapy practice under the banner of Creative upWelling Art Therapy and a Community Ministry focussed on the interconnections between the arts, spirituality and social justice.

Today’s collection will be going to the CUC’s initiative Sharing our Faith.  Congregations are invited to send the money collected during the Sharing our Faith Sunday to the CUC. This money goes into the Sharing our Faith fund and in the future Capital can apply for financial support of projects. Capital has made applications in the past and may wish to do so in the future.

AGM follows the service instead of a Forum

In a constantly shifting world, what are the spiritual practices that allow us to be present to ourselves and be committed to our spiritual community? What resources and wisdom can we draw from to achieve equanimity in our lives and become more resilient?

This pre-recorded sermon is part of the Meaning Making series.

RevJ (he/they) is the Lead Minister of First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto. Dr. Kwong obtained his master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Claremont School of Theology in California, and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in film studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Born and raised in the Philippines (of Chinese descent), most of RevJ’s adult life was spent in California and Hawai’i. He served several congregations during his more than decade-long ministry including First Unitarian Church of Honolulu (where former U.S. President Barack Obama attended Sunday school), Sepulveda UU Society, Temecula Valley UU Community, Ohana Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in Honolulu and Resurrection Beach MCC in Orange County, CA. Their non-profit leadership included serving as Executive Director of the Counselling & Spiritual Care Center of Hawai‘i and API Equality-LA.

RevJ values his pluralistic and ecumenical upbringing, from Evangelical to United Methodist, from Episcopalian to Calvary Chapel. They were christened at a gospel church and baptized as a Chinese Mennonite. In Hawai‘i, RevJ was a member of the Honolulu Mindfulness Community, a sangha influenced by Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn.

Inspiring or intimidating? Both words have been used to describe poetry, which is celebrated during April, National Poetry Writing Month. Join Sarah as she reflects on her own journey into writing poetry, some of what she is learning and how poetry helps her cope with some of life’s learning.

If you are moved to do so, please bring a short poem to share during the forum.

“Shared pain is lessened; shared joy increased. Thus do we refute entropy.” ~ Spider Robinson. What would it mean, though, to live in a culture where we truly focused on sharing each others’ pains and joys? As social isolation continues to rise, we come together as UUs to resist hyperindividualism. With our commitments to interdependence and to encouraging each others’ spiritual growth, we remain a countercultural faith. Join Reilly as we continue to explore the unique gifts we have to offer a world in crisis.

What lessons do we continue to take from The Galilean Carpenter in his life, death and after death? How did his call for a reinvigorated Judaism get turned into a different religion? Is Unitarianism a safe home for Christians?

In the bottom of Pandora’s box was hope. It was what saved her and Prometheus from all the challenges life throws at us. Hope allows us to dream, to plan and to imagine a future we might never be part of.

This pre-recorded sermon is part of the Meaning Making series.

Bio: Rev. Wayne (Wayne) is recently retired from the Neighbourhood congregation in Toronto. He helped start that congregation, and initiated many interesting programs. Rev. Wayne cleared the land to build a family home, and now lives there 4 months of the year with his wife Joan. They have 3 grown children and no pets.

“The family is a school of compassion because it is here that we learn to live with other people.”
― Karen Armstrong, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

This Mother’s Day, Reilly will invite us to continue reflecting on interdependence through the lens of the relationship between mothers and children. What do we learn from this most primal relationship about what it really means to be human? What wisdom can we glean about the complex relationship between individuality and interdependence from observing mothers and their children? And how do we apply these lessons within our UU communities, so our communities can be sources of spiritual fortitude and resilience in these turbulent times? Please feel invited to share a story about your own mother figures (biological or otherwise) during Joys and
Concerns or the forum at this special service.

What if sustainability isn’t just about how long we last — but about how deeply we belong to each other and to the future?

This service revisits Rev. Ray Drennan’s 2004 Confluence Lecture “An Idea of a Possibility” with insights from the UU Expressions research and other current UU practices.

Forum; Investiture of the 2025 Board

Eric Pettman has followed over 100 hummingbird nests from beginning to end. He has named his backyard and close by area as “Hummingbird Hill” where he has taken many videos and posted them to his site “Humming Birds Up Close”. CBC Gem has done an award winning Documentary on him, “The Bird in My Backyard” and he will be presenting this topic in the June Ted Talks in Victoria.